invention is not innovation

"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines." Steve Jobs

There’s often a gap between the invention of something and the point where it becomes an innovation. The computer mouse was invented at Stanford University in 1968, and the Graphical User Interface that takes full advantage of the mouse was invented at Xerox’s PARC labs shortly after that. But neither really became an innovation until they were both included in the Xerox Star PC in 1981. That’s about a 12 year gap between invention and innovation – and gaps like that aren’t unusual.

"Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Thomas Edison

read further: http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/invention-is-not-innovation/

"Think of invention as the laying of an egg, innovation as the laying, incubating and hatching." Gordon Graham

Here are some excerpt that I found interesting from the discussion "invention is not innovation" that I initiated on LinkedIn:

• Gideon Gimlan wrote: 
• "Invention" is supply-side centric; and
• "Innovation" is consumption-side centric.
• Ken Jacobsen wrote: "Innovation is the packaging of invention"
• Siddharth Shah wrote: "When does an invention become an innovation:
  1. At concept stage (for sure not)
  2. Design Phase
  3. prototyping/ development Stage
  4. Trial phase
  5. Market introduction stage
  6. Acceptability stage??"

 In http://www.isu.uzh.ch/entrepreneurship/Teaching/FS10/FS10/Chapter1Thearrivalofinnovation.pdf you can read:
Invention then Innovation then Diffusion

The idea: science base → basic research → applied research → invention →
prototype → development → commercialization → diffusion → technical
progress → economic growth
(Sometimes the entire process in red is referred to as innovation)

My comment: failed innovation can stop at any step, and as a matter of fact there are often desisions to be taken when going from one step to another.


Some Other "Innovation Quotes"

When decisions are hard to make...

When decisions are hard to make...

for recruiters

TalentSeekr™ makes recruiting through online advertising easy. No matter what type of candidates you're searching for, TalentSeekr can find them on the web and display precision target ads -- all while monitoring candidate response and optimizing your spend.

Innovation Quotes: Selecting the right innovation

“Don't confuse the art of the possible with the art of the profitable.” David Tansley

"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." Thomas Edison

“We are surrounded by engineers' folleys: too many technical solutions still looking for problems to solve.” David Tansley

How Do Innovators Think?

The first skill is what we call "associating." It's a cognitive skill that allows creative people to make connections across seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas.

The second skill is questioning — an ability to ask "what if", "why", and "why not" questions that challenge the status quo and open up the bigger picture.

The third is the ability to closely observe details, particularly the details of people's behavior. Another skill is the ability to experiment — the people we studied are always trying on new experiences and exploring new worlds.

And finally, they are really good at networking with smart people who have little in common with them, but from whom they can learn.

read the rest here: How Do Innovators Think?

Social Media Revolution

Resume: do & don't

The Fall of CVs & The Rise of Personal Branding: CVs / Resumes are dead (by the way, I do agree).

5 things you should never put on your resume

Top things to never put on your resume by readers

Make sure your career progression is not mistaken for job hopping

How to Write a Resume That Will Land an Interview

Here is a very interesting presentation I saw in London a few weeks ago at CMMI Made Practical Conference 2009:

Delivering on CMMI® with Agile Methods

In 2008, the SEI published a Technical Note, CMMI® and Agile: Why not embrace both! This new publication sought to explain why there was misunderstanding and distrust between both the CMMI® and Agile communities and how they could be reconciled. In 2009, the movement to consolidate agile methods with the CMMI® model is in full swing. This presentation will summarize the technical note and present an agile implementation of CMMI® based on the Microsoft MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement methodology developed by the presenter in 2005. The method uses W. Edwards Deming's Theory of Profound Knowledge and his 14 Points for Management to reconcile agile methods with the CMMI® model, and generates most of the evidence for a SCAMPI appraisal automatically with the development tools.

Speakers were:

David J. Anderson , David Anderson and Associates
Hillel Glazer , CEO Entinex Inc.

Where does innovation applies?

Innovations are not only technical, but they can be also marketing related for instance. I found that Professor Mohan Sawhney had the best approach for describing the areas where innovations can occur. He lists 4 main areas:

• Product Innovation - WHAT
• Customers Innovation - WHO
• Process Innovation - HOW
• Channel Innovation - WHERE
  

These 4 main innovation areas can be mapped to further sub-areas:

The way innovation is managed in some famous companies is then measured against these areas and sub-areas, in the paper Professor Sawhney wrote. He uses an "innovation Radar" for innovation measures.

Just as an illustration of this "Object of innovation" chapter, I would like to comment this quote from Steve Jobs, CEO from Apple:

"Pretty much, Apple and Dell are the only ones in this industry making money. They make it by being Wal-Mart. We make it by innovation." Steve Jobs

Dell innovated and excelled primarily in the "Channels area". "Being Wal-Mart" is also innovation, but not technical innovation as usually understood. By the way, innovation at Apple is also not only technical innovation. Apple stores are also a mix of "Channels" and "Customer experience" innovations.

LinkedIn History 2006-2009 40 Millions users

java list management and filtering without any loop (for, while)

Just a Java exercize for the fun of it: do some list manipulation / filtering without using for/while statements:

1 Have a list of people belonging to various countries:
European people: [Eric from France, Martine from France, John from Great-Britain, Martha from Great-Britain, Carine from France, Gerd from Deutschland, Giuseppe from Italia, Martha from Deutschland]

2 Get the different countries:
European countries: [Gerd from Deutschland, Eric from France, John from Great-Britain, Giuseppe from Italia]

3 List the people that belong to each country:
People from: [France]: [Carine from France, Eric from France, Martine from France]
People from: [Deutschland]: [Gerd from Deutschland, Martha from Deutschland]
People from: [Great-Britain]: [John from Great-Britain, Martha from Great-Britain]
People from: [Italia]: [Giuseppe from Italia]

Never use for while statements to perform these tasks but make heavy use of the SortedSet type. Find code here.

The trick is to use a compare function that return 0 when the guy's/lady's country does not match the country we are listing inhabitants for.

Read also the same exercize done differently in Java and Haskell:

• one using lambdaj java library.
• using haskell functional language.

How do I answer to a job posting

Let's imagine I read a job posting with the following lines:

Experience:

• Requires BSCS/EE or equivalent and 8+ years of software development experience with 2+ years in a first level management role.
• Experienced in managing embedded software development teams and developing and maintaining a training concept for the group.
• Experienced in managing the entire software development life cycle including requirement gathering, architecture, design, implementation, testing and deployment of functionality.

After writing a motivation letter, I usually copy/paste above items and specifically answer them line by line. This is a way:

1. to help the recruiter "selling" my profile to its client.
2. to show my understanding of the post.
3. to show that the job specifically interests me and that I spent some time and energy answering it.

Experience:
• Requires BSCS/EE or equivalent and 8+ years of software development experience with 2+ years in a first level management role.

• 7 years as 1st level management role @ Logitech & Mariner Networks

• 13 years of embedded software

  • 8 years for businesses

    • 5 years network product @ IBM

    • 2 years network product @ Mariner Networks

    • 1 year elevator @ Schindler

  • 5 years in consumer electronics @ Logitech

• Experienced in managing embedded software development teams and developing and maintaining a training concept for the group

• 7 years as 1st level management role @ Logitech & Mariner Networks

• Regarding developing and maintaining training concepts:
  

• I organized some courses that were also adopted by the other firmware swiss development team

• Through the years, I progressively set setting additional embedded software goals every year.

• Experienced in managing the entire software development life cycle including requirement gathering, architecture, design, implementation, testing and deployment of functionality.

• requirement definitions interacting with marketing

  • 5 years @ Logitech

• architecture

  • 2 years @ Mariner Networks

• coding

  • 8 years @ IBM, Mariner Networks & Schindler

• test management

  • 7 years @ Logitech & Mariner Networks

• field support

  • @ Logitech & IBM

emurse.com

emurse.com is yet another resume posting site:

My Resume
Web	DOC	PDF
RTF	ODT	TXT

BUT here is what I especially appreciate about this site:

• displaying who has visited your profile
• how they did find you. For instance with Google using such and such keywords: <<Your "Main" Resume has just been viewed. Below are the details:
  
  What: "Main" Resume - Webpage
  When: Friday, March 06th, 2009 11:17:01 AM
  Where: Browns Mills, NJ, United States (estimated)
  Who: verizon.net
  From: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cmmi+methodology+in+resume&btnG=Search
  >>
  

There are also some other pluses also offered by some other sites:

• resume downloadable in different formats.
• widget as above that you can post on your blog.

Drawback is that it seems to be mainly a US site and I am living in Europe...

LinkedIn History 2006 -2009

Place Garibaldi et les Ponchettes

Un peu de nostalgie...

Clément ROASSAL (1781-1850)

Nice, la place Victor (Garibaldi)Nice, vue des Ponchettes

The process of being laid off

Developing Java Agents for Lotus Notes under Eclipse

I started developing some java agent for Lotus Notes 8.5 .

The native Lotus Notes eclipse environment does not really meet my needs.

I usually use a regular eclipse environment to develop my java applications with all its nice help features.

I wanted to develop these Lotus Notes java agents under the same environment, but when calling Lotus specific java classes, I got some errors because eclipse could not reference the right jar.

I fixed the problem by just adding Notes.jar (that I found in LotusNotes program directory) as an external jar in the build path of my eclipse project.

Prezi: the next Powerpoint?

Looking for the next Powerpoint?

Have a look at Prezi an online program with some very interessant features such as more dynamicity, online editing...

Here is a real example from Lars Hilse.

bCisive: more focused than mindmapping

I've tried bCisive . I found it interesting, because it focuses more on decision making or researching than wild brainstorming. Though doing wild brainstorming is also useful sometimes...

All models are false but some models are useful

George E. P. Box said:"All models are false but some models are useful..."


My CMMI related white papers.

Begot by butcher...

Begot by butcher, but by bishop bred
How high his highness held his haughty head

Agile in 1 sentence

Here is a question on LinkedIn where people define Agile in one sentence:

What's the Elevator Pitch for Agile?

Let's say you got into an elevator with a senior executive and you had 30 seconds to sell Agile to them, what would you say?

Carolyn Sanders writes:"Agile delivery is about two things: you usually don't know what you want until you see something, so deliver something real as early as you can; and if you're going to fail, fail fast.

Agile in general is about being fundamentally honest with each other, about money, about technical delivery and quality, about requirements andtime - that's why it's so scary for some people."

Mark Hawkins writes:"Methodology that empowers a project team to collaboratively take ownership of their deliverables to ensure successful completion of the project."

Change awareness is the source of innovation

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros Pictures, 1927

"The discipline of innovation", by Peter Drucker, lists several types of innovation divided in 2 groups: sources from inside companies or industry and external sources, such as incongruities, demographic changes or new knowledge. An example of a technological change triggering innovation was the arrival of mature sound film technology in years 1920s.

If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have asked for a faster horse. Henry Ford

Innovation comes from or is influenced by culture, resources, infrastructure or process.

Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. William Pollard

Basically, change and awareness to change occurence in various areas (market, technical, culture) is the source of innovation. Changes in those areas that you are not aware of, are useless.

The things we fear most in organizations: fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances are the primary sources of creativity. Margaret J. Wheatley

The Chinese word weiji (危機 translated as "crisis") is often said to be composed of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity".

The goal is to take advantage before others of these opportunities and to build innovation above.

I consider high-speed data transmission an invention that became a major innovation. It changed the way we all communicate. Dean Kamen

My innovation involved taking an idea from the telecommunications and banking industries, and applying that idea to transportation business. Frederick W. Smith

Some innovations trigger an endless chain of subsequent innovations. That is what is usually called "humanity's progress".

Dinosaurs demise on LinkedIn: fullfillment of the prophecy

With the new Linkedin search page you get the final step of what I prophetized 2 years ago following the exact steps:

• 1st step: cutting visibility from 4 to 3 levels (summer 2005).
• 2nd step: limit mega-networkers activity (winter 2006).
• 3rd step : enforce the no email policy (summer 2008).
• 4th step: take off the “sort by number” search option (december 2008).

Read it at:
http://eric-mariacher.blogspot.com/search/label/dinosaurs%20demise or
http://eric-mariacher.blogspot.com/2006/06/dinosaurs-demise-on-linkedin-dont-read.html

Marc Freedman is not going to earn any money any more :(

Complainte de Mandrin

Nous étions vingt ou trente
Brigands dans une bande,
Tous habillés de blanc
A la mode des, vous m'entendez?
Tous habillés de blanc
A la mode des marchands.

La première volerie
Que je fis dans ma vie,
C'est d'avoir goupillé
La bourse d'un, vous m'entendez?
C'est d'avoir goupillé
La bourse d'un curé.

J'entrai dedans sa chambre,
Mon Dieu, qu'elle était grande,
J'y trouvai mille écus,
Je mis la main, vous m'entendez?
J'y trouvai mille écus,
Je mis la main dessus.

J'entrai dedans une autre
Mon Dieu, qu'elle était haute,
De robes et de manteaux
J'en chargeai trois, vous m'entendez?
De robes et de manteaux
J'en chargeai trois chariots.

Je les portai pour vendre
A la foire en Hollande
J'les vendis bon marché
Ils n'm'avaient rien, vous m'entendez?
J'les vendis bon marché
Ils m'avaient rien coûté.

Ces messieurs de Grenoble
Avec leurs longues robes
Et leurs bonnets carrés
M'eurent bientôt, vous m'entendez?
Et leurs bonnets carrés
M'eurent bientôt jugé.

Ils m'ont jugé à pendre,
Que c'est dur à entendre
A pendre et étrangler
Sur la place du, vous m'entendez?
A pendre et étrangler
Sur la place du marché.

Monté sur la potence
Je regardai la France
Je vis mes compagnons
A l'ombre d'un, vous m'entendez?
Je vis mes compagnons
A l'ombre d'un buisson.

Compagnons de misère
Allez dire à ma mère
Qu'elle ne m'reverra plus
J' suis un enfant, vous m'entendez?
Qu'elle ne m'reverra plus
J'suis un enfant perdu.

What are generally the top priorities you would address during first months in a new job?

This is a question asked on LinkedIn: In a new job, what are generally the top 5 priorities you would really address during the first month and then the two following months ?

One of the answer was:

First month:

- Know who is who in what places. DON'T judge
- Know the systems you have to work with
- Know your job and who is your client, internal or external
- ORGANIZE yourself
- LISTEN to people, NO MATTER WHAT

2 next months:

- Get involved in projects that will help you know you job
- Know the daily routine of your direct report
- Get in better touch with the clients
- Know what the problems are and what you are really facing
- AND NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON A PROBLEM. It won't go away

May you be successful.

Agile Maturity Model

Here are 2 interessant articles I found talking about Agile Maturity Model:

• The Agile Maturity Model
• An "Agile Maturity Model?"

Java Extracting only first Integer value from String

Here is the new java function that extracts the 1st Integer value from String:
String s = new String("Eric Mariacher 1965 AoxomoxoA 1967 Cowabunga 2009 ");
Matcher matcher = Pattern.compile("\\d+").matcher(s);
matcher.find();
int i = Integer.valueOf(matcher.group());

Here is the old java function that extracts the 1st Integer value from String:

   3:    public static int findNextValidInteger(String s) throws Exception {
   4:
   5:      // detect 1st digit after start of string
   6:      int beginIndex=0;
   7:      int endIndex=1;
   8:      int length=s.length();
   9:      while(!s.substring(beginIndex,endIndex).matches("\\d")) {
  10:        beginIndex++;
  11:        endIndex++;
  12:        if(endIndex>length) {
  13:          throw new Exception("No digit found.");
  14:        }
  15:      }
  16:      int i_startNumber= beginIndex;
  17:
  18:      // detect 1st non digit after start previously detected 1st digit   
  19:      beginIndex=i_startNumber;
  20:      endIndex=i_startNumber+1;
  21:      while(s.substring(beginIndex,endIndex).matches("\\d")) {
  22:        beginIndex++;
  23:        endIndex++;
  24:        if(endIndex>length) {
  25:          break;
  26:        }
  27:      }
  28:      int i_endNumber= beginIndex;
  29:
  30:      // return absolute value of integer
  31:      return Integer.valueOf(s.substring(i_startNumber, i_endNumber));
  32:    }
  33:
Can also be done the following way, but may take lot of resources if String
is very long and you only need the 1st Integer.
  35:
  36:    StringTokenizer str = new StringTokenizer("A 1965 Eric");
  37:
  38:    while(str.hasMoreElements()) {
  39:      System.out.println(str.nextElement());
  40:      int i = Integer.parseInt(str.nextElement());
  41:    }
  42:

Innovation Quotes: Brainstorming

"The problem is never to get innovative ideas in your mind , but how to get the old ones out."

"We can believe that we know where the world should go. But unless we're in touch with our customers, our model of the world can diverge from reality. There's no substitute for innovation, of course, but innovation is no substitute for being in touch, either." Steve Ballmer

"My innovation involved taking an idea from the telecommunications and banking industries, and applying that idea to transportation business." Frederick W. Smith

"The metaphor is perhaps one of man's most fruitful potentialities. Its efficacy verges on magic, and it seems a tool for creation which God forgot inside one of His creatures when He made him." Jose Ortega y Gasset

"But an innovation, to grow organically from within, has to be based on an intact tradition, so our idea is to bring together musicians who represent all these traditions, in workshops, festivals, and concerts, to see how we can connect with each other in music." Yo-Yo Ma

"The mind ought to sometimes be diverted that it may return the better to thinking." Phaedrus

"Don't try to come up with the proper answers ; target coming up with good questions." Stanford professor Bill Lazier

"Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." – Pablo Picasso

Innovation Quotes: Setting an innovation friendly environment

"Innovation comes from the producer - not from the customer." W. Edwards Deming

"We need a positive economic agenda that invests in the innovation and growth that will create jobs for middle class families and ensure that America remains the world leader." Rick Larsen

"This is the nature of genius, to be able to grasp the knowable even when noone else recognizes that it is present." Deepak Chopra

"The innovation point is the pivotal moment when talented and motivated people seek the opportunity to act on their ideas and dreams." W. Arthur Porter

"The greatest obstacle to innovation in organizations is the unwillingness to let go of yesterday's successes, and to free up resources that no longer contribute to results." P.Duckler

"The achievement of excellence can only occur if the organization promotes a culture of creative dissatisfaction." Lawrence Miller

"Human societies vary in lots of independent factors affecting their openness to innovation." Jared Diamond

"Innovation is this amazing intersection between someone's imagination and the reality in which they live. The problem is, many companies don't have great imagination, but their view of reality tells them that it's impossible to do what they imagine." Ron Johnson

"Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation." Rosabeth Moss Kanter

"Ideas, like young wine, should be put in storage and taken up again only after they have been allowed to ferment and to ripen." Richard Strauss

"It is the responsibility of leadership to provide opportunity, and the responsibility of individuals to contribute." William Pollard

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat”

"The only thing that makes people and organizations great is their willingness to be not great along the way. The desire to fail on the way to reaching a bigger goal is the untold secret of success" Seth Godin

“Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s license.” Gordon MacKenzie

Innovation Quotes: Where does innovation come from?

"The problem is never to get innovative ideas in your mind , but how to get the old ones out."

"The things we fear most in organizations: fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances are the primary sources of creativity." Margaret J. Wheatley

"This is the nature of genius, to be able to grasp the knowable even when noone else recognizes that it is present." Deepak Chopra

"The innovation point is the pivotal moment when talented and motivated people seek the opportunity to act on their ideas and dreams." W. Arthur Porter

"We can believe that we know where the world should go. But unless we're in touch with our customers, our model of the world can diverge from reality. There's no substitute for innovation, of course, but innovation is no substitute for being in touch, either." Steve Ballmer

"I consider high-speed data transmission an invention that became a major innovation. It changed the way we all communicate." Dean Kamen

"Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable." William Pollard

"My innovation involved taking an idea from the telecommunications and banking industries, and applying that idea to transportation business." Frederick W. Smith

"The Chinese word weiji translated as 'crisis' is often said to be composed of the characters for 'danger' and 'opportunity'."

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles R. Swindoll

Innovation Quotes: Why should we innovate?

"Change before you have to." Jack Welch

"The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else and produces the best results." Edward de Bono

"You can only win the ‘war’ with ideas, not with spending cuts." Klaus Kleinfeld, President and CEO, Siemens AG

"Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity." Michael Porter

"Innovation comes from the producer - not from the customer." W. Edwards Deming

"We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future." Barbara Jordans

"We need a positive economic agenda that invests in the innovation and growth that will create jobs for middle class families and ensure that America remains the world leader." Rick Larsen

"Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow." William Pollard

"If all you're trying to do is essentially the same thing as your rivals, then it's unlikely that you'll be very successful." Michael Porter

"innovation is the technological pre-condition for growth." Eric Schmidt (Google CEO)

Innovation Quotes: What is Innovation?

"Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Thomas Edison

"Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things." Theodore Levitt

"Innovation is the process of turning ideas into manufacturable and marketable form." Watts Humprey

"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines." Steve Jobs

"Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure." Albert Einstein

"Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation." Milan Kundera

"Innovation is the whim of an elite before it becomes a need of the public." Ludwig von Mises

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat”

“If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.” Woody Allen

"True innovation is based on the recognition that a business concept represents a dozen or so design variables, all of which need to be constantly revisited and constantly challenged" Gary Hamel

"Think of invention as the laying of an egg, innovation as the laying, incubating and hatching." Gordon Graham

"Innovation is the process or result of combining previously separate ideas or technologies in useful and valuable ways" Karl Long

other resume/CV formats

Do you want to experiment non-text resumes/CVs?

Video CV, Flyers CV...

Click here: in french but everyone can understand

Video CV By Jim Newton: http://www.customvideoresume.com

Linkedin history 2006 - 2008

For a year, number of Linkedin users is going exponential vs time. When I look at number of connections vs network ratio (for myself), it can be seen that people are more and more connected with each other.

I am not inviting any more people as I reached the number of people I am allowed to invite. The growth seen in the green curve (numbers of 1st level connections) is purely passive.

I have received 12 invitations per day for the last year. I am not advertizing my email anymore in my profile as it is now "strictly" forbidden, I mainly receive invitaions from LIONS and toplinked users. By the way, I did not see any diminution in the number of received invitations when removing my email from my profile.

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard

I am proud that my team delivered firmware for the new Logitech illuminated keyboard.

I especially appreciate working with this keyboard because it is illuminated. This is useful when you surf on the web or watch a video in the evening and you do not want to be disturbed by anything else than the computer screen.
Something positive is also the fact that you choose the illumination level, as opposed to some automatic ambiant light system which choose the level for you.

This development was a challenge for our swiss team, as we are more specialized in developing wireless keyboards. We had to use a new chip that we had little experience with. The biggest obstacles we encountered was not because of the chip itself, but because of the compiler badly translating the C language to assembly code: "what you write, is not what you get". And this triggered some bugs that we had great difficulties to track and correct.

LotusNotes vs Sharepoint

One of my job related questions is: "How long am I going to (suffer from?) using LotusNotes everyday?". Here are some various feedbacks that I got when asking:

"SharePoint is fast becoming the next IBM Lotus Notes — and not in a good way. For years people implemented Lotus Notes databases like crazy, seeing them as the best way to store and share information. Now you hear more about moving all the content and data into SharePoint. But what’s the point if you are just going from one messy datastore into another?"

Move Over Lotus Notes, SharePoint is Filling Yer Shoes
Has anyone migrated from Sharepoint to LotusNotes?
What is the future of Lotus Notes?

My (temporary) conclusion is if you're using LotusNotes and a reasonable part of your co-worker is not overly dissatisfied working with it: keep using it.

Have you ever had key repeats when using a keyboard?

If you ever had key repeats when using a keyboard, and if every other PC device works correctly, it's not always the fault of the keyboard...

Actually each PC devices has it's own very specific constraints.

For instance a mouse has to be very reactive and its USB interface has to sustain several hundreds of reports per seconds. But if one is missed, it is often not noticed otherwise (except when it is a mouse click missed).

A keyboard has "opposite" USB constraints. A fast typist usually does not type faster than 20 characters per seconds which translates to 40 reports per second (each key means a report that says key is pressed and another one saying key is released). But we don't want to lose any key.

Some USB hubs sustain some constraints better than others. some USB software drivers for other devices (video cards, etc...) sometimes put huge constraints on USB hubs and have side effects on other devices.

Usually, the best thing to do is to swap the USB port on which the keyboard is plugged, or if the keyboard is plugged on a USB hub, plug directly the keyboard on the root hub of the PC.

An enhanced TreeMap Applet

TreeMap is a way to present information that is very efficient sometimes...
This TreeMap Applet has been enhanced with custom colors and comments using 2 additional xml fields to the standard xml description:

• details for comments when clicking on squares.
• hue / color for discriminating between main groups of squares.

The java applet code is based on http://www.objectlab.co.uk/open original JTReeMap code.

Les réseaux sociaux tissent des liens en amont du processus de recrutement

Les entreprises peuvent maintenant se mettre en contact avec des personnes au profil intéressant, avant même de viser un poste à pourvoir. Ce, sans que la recrue potentielle soit en recherche active d'emploi.

en lire plus...

Excel visual basic macro generates table of contents

Excel visual basic macro generates table of contents that has one entry per worksheet.

download excel file

   1:rem Eric Mariacher
   2:rem generate some charts and build a table of contents as 1st worksheet
   3:Sub charts and TOC()
   4:    Dim ws As Worksheet
   5:    Dim cpt, cptpoint As Long
   6:    Dim color_index As Long
   7:    For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
   8:        ActiveWorkbook.Activate
   9:        ws.Select
  10:        ws.Activate
  11:        Worksheets.Add
  12:        With ActiveSheet
  13:            .Name = "G" + ws.Name
  14:            Rem ch = .Controls.AddChart("B2:F7", "tagada")
  15:        End With
  16:        Charts.Add
  17:        ActiveChart.ChartType = xlColumnStacked
  18:        ActiveChart.SetSourceData Source:=Range(ws.Name), PlotBy:=xlColumns
  19:        With ActiveChart
  20:            .HasTitle = True
  21:            .ChartTitle.Characters.Text = ws.Name
  22:          
  23:            cpt = 1
  24:            For cpt = 1 To .SeriesCollection.Count
  25:                Select Case cpt
  26:                    Case 1
  27:                        color_index = 1
  28:                    Case 2
  29:                        color_index = 9
  30:                End Select
  31:                .SeriesCollection(cpt).Interior.ColorIndex = color_index
  32:            Next cpt
  33:        End With
  34:        ActiveChart.Location Where:=xlLocationAsObject, Name:="G" + ws.Name
  35:        With Worksheets("G" + ws.Name)
  36:            .ChartObjects(1).Width = 900
  37:            .ChartObjects(1).Height = 600
  38:            .ChartObjects(1).Left = .Columns("A").Left
  39:            .ChartObjects(1).Top = .Rows("2").Top
  40:        End With
  41:    Next ws
  42:  
  43:    Dim wsTOC As Worksheet
  44:    Dim Chart As Chart
  45:    Dim r As Long
  46:    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
  47:    Set wsTOC = ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets.Add _
  48:         (Before:=ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(1))
  49:    wsTOC.Name = "Table_of_Contents"
  50:    wsTOC.Range("A1") = "Table of Contents"
  51:    wsTOC.Range("A1").Font.Size = 18
  52:    wsTOC.Columns("A:A").ColumnWidth = 40
  53:    r = 3
  54:    For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
  55:        If ws.Name <> wsTOC.Name And ws.Name Like "G*" Then
  56:            wsTOC.Hyperlinks.Add _
  57:                anchor:=wsTOC.Cells(r, 1), _
  58:                Address:="", _
  59:                SubAddress:=ws.Name & "!A1", _
  60:                TextToDisplay:=ws.Name
  61:            r = r + 1
  62:            ws.Hyperlinks.Add _
  63:                anchor:=ws.Cells(1, 1), _
  64:                Address:="", _
  65:                SubAddress:="Table_of_Contents!A1", _
  66:                TextToDisplay:="Table of Contents"
  67:        End If
  68:    Next
  69:    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
  70:End Sub

Logitech Cordless Desktop® EX 100: a product I am proud of

Here is (yet another) Logitech product I am proud of:

I am proud of this keyboard because first of all I like to use it for my daily work. Though I have the opportunity to use all keyboards we are developing at Logitech Switzerland, I like the simplicity, comfort and ease of use of it, especially for it's low-cost price point. I can only recommend it to you.

I am also proud of this keyboard because it has been developed by a junior engineer coming out of school. The embedded software developed for this keyboard is 90% legacy code, and seasoned engineers do not enjoy working on legacy code as much as when they are doing completely new development. This is why I assigned this job to a beginner. She successfully stayed focused on the development of this keyboard and all issues occuring, especially when communicating with development teams in China.

Map

Labyrinth

Reactos

I just tried to install reactos Alpha 0.3.4 ( a 99% windows like free OS) on an old dead PC and it works!

I tried after this 1st successful 1st step to install an old win95 game "Age of wonder" but it failed :-(

interview d'une ingénieure en software embarquée chez Logitech

TEMOIGNAGE

Qui a dit que femme et informatique ne faisaient pas bon ménage? Ana Milosevic, jeune ingénieure d’intégration software de 26 ans pour logitech, nous explique en quoi son métier est passionnant.

Parole d'informaticienne: "C’est un métier excitant et plein de défis"

LES GALETS

Il ne suffisait plus de savoir compter les
galets; il fallait connaître leur place exacte
Où est la place exacte d'un galet?
Au creux de la main comme une bête.

Jean Orizet

Aube

A l'aube je suis descendu au fond des machines

J'ai écouté pour une dernière fois la respiration profonde des pistons

Appuyé à la fragile main-courante de nickel j'ai senti pour la dernière fois cette sourde vibration des arbres de couche pénétrer en moi avec le relent des huiles surchauffées et la tiédeur de la vapeur

Nous avons encore bu un verre le chef mécanicien cet homme tranquille et triste qui a un si beau sourire d'enfant et qui ne cause jamais et moi

Comme je sortais de chez lui le soleil sortait tout naturellement de la mer et chauffait déjà dur

Le ciel mauve n'avait pas un nuage

Et comme nous pointions sur Santos notre sillage décrivait un grand arc-de-cercle miroitant sur la mer immobile

Blaise Cendrars - Feuilles de route

Universal lua tostring

Universal tostring (also available here)

function table_print (tt, indent, done)
done = done or {}
indent = indent or 0
if type(tt) == "table" then

 local sb = {}
 for key, value in pairs (tt) do
   table.insert(sb, string.rep (" ", indent)) -- indent it

   if type (value) == "table" and not done [value] then
     done [value] = true

     table.insert(sb, "{\n");
     table.insert(sb, table_print (value, indent + 2, done))
     table.insert(sb, string.rep (" ", indent)) -- indent it
     table.insert(sb, "}\n");
   elseif "number" == type(key) then

     table.insert(sb, string.format("\"%s\"\n", tostring(value)))
   else
     table.insert(sb, string.format("%s = \"%s\"\n", tostring (key), tostring(value)))
    end

 end
 return table.concat(sb)
else
 return tt .. "\n"
end

end

function to_string( tbl )
 if  "nil"       == type( tbl ) then
     return tostring(nil)
 elseif  "string" == type( tbl ) then
     return tbl
 elseif  "table" == type( tbl ) then
     return table_print(tbl)
 else
     tostring(tbl)
 end
end

Example

 print(to_string({"Lua",user="Mariacher",{{co=coroutine.create(function() end),{number=12345.6789}},
 func=function() end}, boolt=true}))

This prints

"Lua"
{
{
 {
   number = "12345.6789"
 }
 co = "thread: 0212B848"
}
func = "function: 01FC7C70"
}
boolt = "true"

user = "Mariacher"

"Automatically" test your resume

Catherine Palmiere writes in one of her mail I received: "It is vital to know that automation plays a new role in the hiring process. Companies now use special scanner and software packages and feed through resumes they receive in order to search for keywords and phrases. Spend those extra few minutes to customize your resume and use as much specific verbiage as possible from the ad itself. If they mention international travel, then you mention international travel too, etc."

Here is the opportunity to test your resume: http://jobetic.lingway.info/

The result is in french but it did a pretty good job analyzing mine which is 100% english written.

It understood RTF format much better than pure word/doc format.

When LinkedIn search engine is not working, use Spock

When LinkedIn search engine is not working, just use spock . Spock has access to Linkedin profiles and also to other web sites related to this person.

Innovation video and presentations

Video:

Every successful innovation will be taken for granted.

The innovation Radar:

The Innovation Radar - Upload a Document to Scribd

Innovation Strategy

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: business strategy)

21 Ways to Know It's Time to Leave Your Job

Read Davids Finch post.

SALTIMBANQUES

A Louis Dumur.

Dans la plaine les baladins
S'éloignent au long des jardins
Devant l'huis des auberges grises
Par les villages sans églises

Et les enfants s'en vont devant
Les autres suivent en rêvant
Chaque arbre fruitier se résigne
Quand de très loin ils lui font signe

Ils ont des poids ronds ou carrés
Des tambours des cerceaux dorés
L'ours et le singe animaux sages
Quêtent des sous sur leur passage.

APOLLINAIRE

Plaxo is dead

Here is a Plaxo message I just discovered this morning when logging in:
"You've reached the maximum number of allowed connections (1000). If you want to add more you'll need to remove some of your exsting ones or wait until we increase this limit. Sorry!"

Plaxo is now useless for me as I have more than 20000 1st level contacts on LinkedIn, Viadeo and Xing.

Read also a post written by Dawn Mular : Plaxo Processing Alternatives

un bon CV

Etes-vous sûr d’avoir un CV irréprochable ?

Notre CV dans les mains du recruteur

"The What The F%&K Factor" or What Not to Write In a Resume

Is Plaxo dead?

Plaxo just sends me back some blank page when I log in.

Does anyone have the same problem?

Technical innovations until 2030

Here are some technical innovations projected by some "Young Global Leaders".

A bad new for the keyboards I build: "full voice interaction with PC"

Some questions:

• What the hell means "Virtual Holydays"? Does that nean "No Holidays"?
• What is a "Dream Machine"? A machine connected to your brain that "downloads" dreams into your head? Or a machine so beautiful or efficient that you can't do anything but wondering how marvelous the world has become?
• "Computers that write most of their software": Thi is not a progress. That already exists today, and it does not work that well.
  

Here is the one I am waiting for: "Fully auto-piloted cars"

Sun Tzu - Art of War

Logitech diNovo Mini: A product I am proud of...

The Logitech diNovo Mini's elegant design won't besmirch your living room; it gives the Home Theater PC owner full cursor control.


read CNET's review

I am the embedded software manager responsible for this marvelous product. Challenges we encountered:

• new usage model meaning that we had to mange lot of interactions with marketing and usability engineer.
  
• new key matrix concept because it's not the 101 keys keyboard.
  
• illumination scheme
• touchpad integration

Where will LinkedIn be in 5/10 years?

This question was asked on LinkedIn Q&A forum. Read answers from various LinkedIn users: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/professional-networking/CAR_PNT/143754-2667972